CowboyStudio Photo Studio 24-Inch 2-in-1 Triangular Collapsible Disc Reflector, White / Silver

Easy to pack and deploy.

Well, first let me state that this thing does what I purchased it for and it does it well. The 3-Tone Panels allows for custom white balancing, accurate metering and exposure monitoring through the camera's histogram function. It's also a great light or blocking shaping tool. I've included some links regarding this product and others that helped me in the comment section of this review because they are not allowed to be posted within the actual Amazon review. Got to love the great handle and triangle design. This is a great product that appears to be pagued by smudge marks in it's white area. It has been noted in other reviews that the smudge marks don't totally disable the performance of the product, and I understand the principle that it's not perfect and does not resemble a product in new condition. Well, fortunately you have the option of purchasing possible alternative similar product(s) or get this one and attempt to fade away the smudge marks. The similar products I'm referring to are the StudioHut 32" and PhotoVision's Pocket One-Shot Digital Calibration Target and they well maybe others that I don't know about. The PhotoVision product(comes in different sizes 6" 14" 24" 34" with an instructional DVD) as they don't appear to have this smudge mark(s) issue, but they also don't have a nice handle like the Cowboy Studio's version and yes you guess it, they cost more. I have recently purchased the PhotoVision's 6" product recently. The Studiohut 20" and the StudioHut 32" appears to be just like the CowboyStudio product, but they come in sizes 20 and 32 inches and not 24.  StudioHut 32" Photography Double Sided Portrait Studio Collapsible Triangular Reflector with easy grip handle (Black/Grey/Silver/White)Studiohut 20" Photography Double Sided Portrait Studio Collapsible Triangular Reflector with easy grip handle (Black/Grey/Silver/White) I did email cowboy studio's regarding this issue and the customer service person replied back with a recommendation to try dabbing at smudge marks on the white area of the product with a bleach cloth. Alternately, stated that acetone (nail polish remover) may help. They noted that these are both abrasive treatements, and to be cautious to use them only on the white and don't let other sections (especially black) be touched.Well, I got some bleach (used the bleach container's cap and poured the bleach into the cap and put it down) and then wet a plain all white paper towel with some water, then took the wet paper towel and gave it a quick dip into the full cap of bleach and then tried dabbing at the smudge marks just enough to make it moist (careful not to touch the sides or apply too much and risk it running off. I had already put the digital calibration target/reflector target flat on a even surface on the ground outside (little to no winds) in direct mid-day sunlight to effectively boost the bleaching and drying for about an hour or a little more. It worked as the marks substantially faded, and I used such a small amount of bleach that I think this may need to be done more than once to further reduce the marks. Like I stated in the title of the this review result(s) may vary. Also, I tried nail polish remover and quite a few other products too (Didi seven, K2r, magic wand stain remover stick, OxiClean, Krud Kutter GR32 Graffiti Remover, etc), but only the bleach effectively faded the smudge marks.

* Specifications *Folded diameter in pouch: 10 inch / 25.3 cmWeight including pouch: 5.82 oz / 165 gUnfolded size, longest side/height - outer frame: 27 inch / 68.5 cmUnfolded size, shortest side/width - outer frame: 24.5 inch / 61 cm* Quality *Good quality for the price. Frame and material are less thick and heavy than I thought by looking at the photos but on the other hand I'm surprised how lightweight it is. The material wrapped with Velcro around the handle feels a little cheap but then it has no major function other than covering a stitching.I think the reflector will last a while, and for the price I wouldn't be upset if I have to replace it in a couple of years anyway.* About the size *It's a very compact reflector. I have a round 43 inch reflector too, which is sitting in my closet because I can't use it without an assistant - too large, unusable when windy, no way to direct it while taking photos. This one is pretty portable and I can use it with one hand while operating a camera with the other. The handle definitely helps for that.Thanks to it's compact size and weight, this reflector now goes with me everywhere because it easily fits in my messenger bag. It has a good size to eliminate shadows in faces, but not for the whole body of course.* White / Silver *Some reflectors also offer a gold side and a black side. While there might be uses for that, the only thing you need for outdoor portraits is white and silver. The white side is less brutal and good for eliminating shadows especially when you operate it very close to your subject's face. You can use the white side for reflecting the sunlight without causing too much squinting.The silver side reflects the sunlight almost with its full power. Be careful when using the silver side!* Why I think you don't need a gold side *The reflection level is the same as with the silver side, with the difference that it makes a very warm (gold-ish) color. Well, I guess you are shooting in digital and I assume in RAW anyway. Adding a warm tone to a well exposed photo is not a problem - but removing it while maintaining a natural overall color it is often more complicated. I find photos taken with the light of a gold-sided reflector makes too yellowish, unnatural colors. There is a reason why the standard photo lights available have a neutral daylight color... the reason is that you can easily change color temperature in post processing when your base is an image file without any artificial tones added. The silver side gives you a neutral color that matches the rest of your surrounding because it just reflects the given light without adding color. Enough said, just my 2 cents on the silver vs. gold thing. Conclusion: This reflector has all you need.* Folding it back *Unless you are familiar with folding a light tent or portable softbox, you want to figure out how to fold it back before embarrassing yourself in front of others... You simply twist it twice: Hold it on the frame with two hands, form an "8" and then make the same turn again. Definitely search Youtube for "how to fold a reflector".

After reading other reviews I was mildly concerned the white section would be smudged, but it's pristine white. Quality seems great -- snappy. Edge support is stiff & sturdy feeling, but not so stiff as to be difficult to re-fold for storage in the included fabric case. Hand grip has foam padding. Silver side is a bit crinkly like unfolded aluminum foil, but should be fine for simple fill.I compared the gray section to a new Delta 1/CPM 18% gray card, and to my eye they look identical in value and color, so I'll feel confident using it to set my camera's manual white balance adjustment.I took a picture with the tri-panel in the middle of the shot, and the histogram gives three sharp spikes — I can see how this would be useful to check exposure.No instructions came with it. No instructions on the CowboyStudio website either that I could find. Consult your camera's instructions for how to manually set white balance, point at the tri-target and click. Of course it's also useful for post processing; take a photo of it in the lighting you're going to use for the shoot, then in software you can select the white or gray sections to calibrate your photo editing software's white balance to neutral. Every time your lighting changes, recalibrate your camera's white balance and/or take another photo of it to use as post processing reference for neutral/white.